


You May Not Remember Me, But You Damn Well Better Not Forget Me

by ssbfan4ever



Series: The Adventures of Six Friends Who've Seen Too Much [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, And kinda metaphorical, Angst, Don't come for me plz, F/F, Feelings, Friendship, Good Ones This Time, Hurt, I say "major character death" but it's nothing new, I'm Sorry, Link Loves Revali Loves Link, M/M, Sadness, Then comes comfort after a WHILE, This is a novel of alllll my feels for this plot and its potential, True Love, anyway, god why do i do this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-06 07:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13406772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssbfan4ever/pseuds/ssbfan4ever
Summary: Link, well, he just wants his friends back. Does he remember everything about them; every aspect of their personality, every little thing that made them tick? No. But he knew he needed their presence in his life.If he had known what he would give to make that happen, what these four people wouldmake him do, he would've steeredsoclear.





	1. Decisions, Decisions

"Mipha... Revali... Urbosa... Daruk..."

Their names filled the space of the under-decorated house Link owned. They were familiar, but they sounded so strange to him. He was supposed to save them, free their spirits, but... he didn't know about that. If he freed their spirits, would he never see them again after Calamity Ganon was defeated? That had to be the case; he was warned that he could never enter the Divine Beast again if he activated the terminals. And, well, that concept just didn't sit well with him.

o.O.o

"What in the name of the Goddess is he _doing_!?" Revali yelled, to no one in particular, really, because he was  _still trapped in this fucking hunk of... whatever the fuck a Divine Beast is made of_.

 **"Revali, please, calm down. Link doesn't do something like that for no reason."** Mipha's voice rang through his head.

"I think we've quickly established he isn't the same person we knew, _Your Highness_." The Rito spat, going back to wandering the crevices of Medoh he knew all too well. 

 **"We're just going to have to trust him, Revali. It isn't like we can contact Zelda, since she's, you know, _keeping this land together._ "** Urbosa didn't sound any happier than Revali, which only made tensions run higher.

 **"How about we just sleep this off, hm? Get back to it in the morning?"** Daruk's deep, yet sweet voice interrupted; Revali only had the patience to scoff.

"None of us have slept in one hundred years, you over-sized rock. That isn't about to change. Why? Because Mr. High and Mighty decided to let us rot just a little longer, after letting us stew in our own juices for a century. So yes, pretend you're all sleeping, but that doesn't change the fact that we're going to be stuck here until he limps into one of the beasts, beaten and bruised from an ill-prepared attempt at a fight with Ganon, begging for our help." Revali couldn't tell if the silence was from the lack of talking or him blocking the talk out, but either way, he was  _miserable_.

Because he's had to deal with the fact that the person he loved left him to suffer for a  _month._

And what's worse, Link had no recognition of Revali or the love the hero used to give him. Nothing short of apprehension when a Rito with little teal flames surrounding him made a grand entrance.

Then again, he'd done nothing but taunt the Hylian the whole time he was activating the terminals and defeating Windblight Ganon; maybe Link just didn't want to bother freeing Revali. The other three Beasts would be more than enough help bringing down Ganon.

o.O.o

He feels  _awful_ , okay? He knows the other champions are probably suffering in their divine prisons, but the thought of never seeing them again hurt more than being stabbed with a Moblin spear lit on fire.

And the worst part of it is that he still doesn't remember everything, 

So, what does he do? He runs like a cucco with its head cut off towards the Temple of Time where he'll consult the Goddess Statue.

 _"I see you are greatly troubled, Hero of Hyrule."_   _'Hero of Hyrule'_ , right, cause that's exactly how he's acting. Putting his selfish desires before the well being of his supposed friends _and_ the kingdom woven into his title. "What brings you here?"

"I... um... well, I want my friends back."

_"You know that if you want your horses brought back you must--"_

"Not...  _those_ , Goddess Hylia, but... my fellow champions; Daruk, Revali--"

 _"Are you asking me to go against the very laws of life and death itself?"_ Oh no. He'd pissed her off. Suddenly, that rainbow of light cascading didn't seem so joyful.

"Please, your--"

 _"Do not make such an appalling request in my presence again, Hero, or you will suffer unimaginable consequences."_ The light was entirely gone, and Link knew that he'd have to turn to... _less divine_ help to get the Champions back.

~~~

Hateno village is a very comforting sight once Link reaches it on horseback. His house is still there, quaint and simultaneously boring at the same time, as well as the colourful buildings and barns. Though, he wasn't here for the beautiful sights and minimal comforts he could afford. 

He was here to probably sell his soul to the little shit of a statue near the lake so he could keep his friends with him.

Life of a hero, right?

He approaches the tiny statue, and as soon as he got within three feet, he felt shivers run up and down his spine.

 _"Ah, Hero, here to strike up another deal?"_ Link narrowed his eyes at the statue, sighing.

"Your whole  _thing_ is making deals the Goddess wouldn't approve of, right?"

_"Well, you've been through this before, no? Sell me a piece of your essence for--"_

"I'm not here to make money or swap an essence. I need you... to bring four of my friends back to life." Link waited for a response, thinking that if the statue could emote, how it would react.

_"You want me to do something of such gravity? Well, that's quite a hefty price."_

"Whatever it is I can pay it--!"

 _"I don't want your rupees, boy."_ A pause. _"No, I want something that'll make you realize what you're asking me. I'll bring back your friends, but you won't be able to regain any sort of memory of them, ever."_

Link felt everything in him  _freeze_.

"What? No... no, that's not fair..." Not being able to remember anything? That was the whole point of this. Bringing back his friends so he could be with them like he used to.

God, he was going to regret this.

"I'll... I'll think about it, I suppose." Link said, shaken up more than ever.

_"I shall be waiting here, Hero, because I know what you'll choose."_

The scariest part was that Link knew what he was going to choose, too.

~~~

"Revali!" Link shouted as soon as he re-materialized on the travel gate, looking around for the Rito when the Champion in question landed a good ten feet form him, looking angrier than Link had ever seen him.

"One month, two weeks, five days, seven minutes, and four seconds. That's how long I've been waiting for you to come, Link,  _a month and a half_. Why do you think that is, hm? Did you think I'd've just gotten over it and waited for you to come back, all impassive and grateful that you decided to grace me with your ever-lovely presence?" Revali's emerald eyes glinted with an underlying rage that made Link take a small step back. "You know, I stand by what I said when we first met. I can't believe someone as selfish as you managed to get the most important role, and _survived_." Link flinched at the words. Did Revali want him...  _dead_? "So fucking activate the terminal, Link, cause I've gotten _tired_ of waiting. I've gotten tired of waiting for you to maybe get a glimpse of what we had, or even the friendship, but good Goddess, this is getting too hard for me to take--"

"I gotta go." Link was heading for the travel gate before Revali could stop him, and maybe that was for the best, because he wasn't sure he had anything to say to make his love--his fellow champion feel better.

~~~

Link sat down at the small wooden desk beside his bed, quill in hand, paper in front of him, waiting for the right words to come. Because the longer he thought about Revali, and the other champions, the more memories, small and flickering, came back to him.

And that made it so much harder to say goodbye.

Because it's easy to say goodbye to something you never knew you had; that random relative you were never really close to, but go to funeral out of courtesy. But now, it felt like giving up a childhood toy; only when you see all the little stains and scratches, do you remember how they came to be, and do you remember the joy that came with spending time with said toy.

Revali went from being his dead second cousin twice removed to his favourite stuffed cucco.

Steeling himself, he tightened the grip on his quill and began writing to his friends.

 


	2. Fighting For You Is Like Fighting For My Life (They Matter the Same to Me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really sure how the consent laws work in other countries, so I'm going to use the Canadian laws for the age of consent: "The Tackling Violent Crime Act raises the legal age of sexual consent in Canada to 16 from 14, the first time it has been raised since 1892. But the law includes a "close-in-age exception," meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older."
> 
> From what I found online, Zelda in BotW is 17.

The first thing Urbosa felt was discomfort. Yes, she's a Gerudo through and through, but, well, you don't feel the sweltering heat of the desert as a spirit.

The second thing Urbosa felt was the sand beneath her hands and feet. It was comforting, the most comforting thing she'd felt since Zelda--

The third thing Urbosa felt was panic. Her princess was where? Goddess damn the desert, where was she--

The fourth thing Urbosa felt, was, well...  _alive_. But that couldn't be, could it?

"Lady Urbosa!?" Or she supposed it could.

Urbosa grunted, propping herself up on her elbow and tried to open her eyes against the beating rays of the sun.

"Riju?" She tired opening her eyes again, this time succeeding, and saw it was indeed the Gerudo chief in front of her.

"Lady Urbosa! How--you--you're supposed to be dead!"

"You're very encouraging right now, Riju." The Champion chuckled as she sat up fully, looking around. She noticed Gerudo City to her right, and the palm trees of Kara Kara Bazaar, far to the left. "How did I... get here?"

"I don't know, Lady Urbosa, but you have no idea how good it is to have you back! Come one, the vai of Gerudo City would love to see you!"

The only thing on Urbosa's mind when she was guided into Gerudo City, heavily leaning on Riju, was if her princess was okay.

o.O.o

Mipha missed her brother a lot. He was so small, last she recalled, and she loved playing with him in the shallower waters, close where the king could watch. She absolutely loved how he'd come to her, frog in hand, going on and on about how he knew she loved seeing them and how he found it.

So imagine her shock when she sees Sidon, no longer any shorter than her, but fully grown.

"Si... Sidon?" The prince cheered and clapped, staring had Mipha with unadulterated excitement.

"Mipha!" Before the Champion knew what has happening she was being hugged. "You're back!"

"I don't... how?" 

"You were just floating in the waters below the bridge! I didn't recognize it as you, at first, but when I picked you up, I saw your face! So I brought you back here! Dad wants to see you!"

That was... quite a bit to process. She was alive, for one, and now she's seeing her father and brother again.

Something was  _off_.

o.O.o

Warmth. Comforting,  _home_. Rocks? Really hot water--no, lava. Absence. Heartbrea--

"AH!"  _Headache_. "Dar-Daruk!?" 

"What, kid, I'm trying to sleep." Wait, what? 

Daruk shot up, accidentally bumping heads with Yunobu, looking at Goron City from what he supposed was close to Death Mountain. 

"I... I'm alive! Haha!" Daruk's booming voice caused come rocks to fall down, not big ones--more like little pebbles, but it showed how excited he was to be back. He turned around to face his descendant, arms open wide. "Yunobu!" 

As happy as Daruk was to be back, he couldn't help but think how the hell he was able to walk to Goron City like a person who was  _alive_.

o.O.o

Revali was going to  _beat Link_. The little shit did something, he knows it. The tiny Hylian just had to be hasty before he left Vah Medoh, and now Revali and the other Champions were alive--he could sense their presence--so Link was only to blame.

After paying the fastest visit he could to Rito Village, which really wasn't fast at all, considering the whole village looked up to him and his admittedly superior skills, he headed for Hyrule. 

He flew as fast as he could, but it seemed like it was fast enough when he noticed that Calamity Ganon was...  _gone_.

 **"Anyone else very fleshy and very alive?"** Urbosa's voice rang through his head, and Revali hoped that would go away with the spirit thing.

He's upset to find out he's wrong.

"Anyone else noticing Calamity Ganon is missing?"

 **"Do you think that, perhaps, Link fulfilled his prophecy?"**  

"I didn't think you were capable of sarcasm, little Mipha." Revali landed in front of the castle, looking for any sign of Zelda or her knight.

Thankfully, after only a few minutes of searching, he found two heads of blonde hair which he immediately flew over to.

"Princess--AH!" Revali fell to the ground, looking in horror at the arrow sticking out of his leg.

"Revali!?" Zelda rushed over to him, eyes filled with panic upon looking at his wound. Revali looked at Link, who was still aiming a bow at him, arrow nocked.

"Link, what in the name of the Goddess are you doing?" An arrow flew by his head, Link's kind eyes narrowing.

"How do you know my name, stranger?" Both the princess and Revali looked at Link, completely shocked, because last they checked, his memories were coming back.

"Link, Revali, he's your... You two..." Zelda shook her head, regaining her thoughts.

"You attacked the princess,  _Revali_ , sadly I can't let that go." Revali squawked a little in indignation.

"I'm a Rito, I  _fly_ , it's what I  _do_. My bow wasn't out, an arrow wasn't drawn, I wasn't even circling you." The Rito got up with a wince, walking--more like limping--closer to him until they shared the air they breathed.

"I suggest you step back, sir, or I will put a very painful arrow through your evidently empty skull--"

"Link! Stop this! You don't threaten innocent people like that!" Link had the decency to look a little ashamed, but when his eyes met the emerald ones in front of him, that anger was back.

"I catch you pulling that again, it'll be your wings I aim for." Revali could handle a lot of things. Bomb arrows to the chest, spears to his wings, even a Lynel going ham on his back. But this, Link threatening one of the only things he has going for him? And fully  _meaning it_? This, Revali couldn't handle.

So, he took off. Where? Eh, he didn't really know, but anywhere from those sky blue eyes was good.

~~~

As Revali sat on one of the hills overlooking the castle, he thought over how wrong his life has gone in a short amount of time.

Well, he says short, but events one and two are one hundred years apart; so, kind of in a short amount of time.

He thought back on all the times his wings would carry both he and Link to wherever they need to be; or, more often than not, where  _wanted to be_. Just them, in a secluded area where only their breaths and whispers and could be heard, and love for each other could be sensed from anywhere. All the times where Link would come back from the mountains with one less layer than he left with and _'Dammit, Link, you got into it with another monster?'_. When Revali would huff and puff and complain, but in the end would gladly wrap up his love in his wings, making sure his shivers were a thing of the past. All the times when Link was sick, and didn't have the energy to feed himself, and Revali would pull out his secret recipe for colds. A delicious bowl of steamed fruit, with a secret sweetness that Revali would never reveal because  _'I need to make sure you stick around. I keep this ingredient, I keep you.' 'You'll always have me, Revali.'_

Revali never did appreciate being lied to.

"Revali?" The Rito looked up at the Zora princess who wasn't there a few minutes ago, but whatever.

"Hey, fish-girl."

"I find that borderline racist."

"And I find you much sassier than one hundred years ago."

"We both know I've always been the sassiest."

"And Zelda thinks you're an _angel_."

"I'm a  _delight_ , bird-brain."

" _Now_ , who's borderline racist?"

"Just let me heal your wound, Revali."

"Oh, damn, right, that's still there."

"That's why you don't have a royal title like the rest of us."

"I like to think it shows why I should. I'm putting my flying above my mortal injuries."

"Shut up before I stick this arrow somewhere that'll impede your performance."

"In bed or--OW!"

"I'll _hit you again_."

"I liked it better when you didn't have a solid form to hit me."

"I simply couldn't leave Ruta to beat you, Revali."

"Love you, too, Mipha."

o.O.o

"Princess?" Zelda nearly dropped her screwdriver at the voice, because Urbosa? What? "May I come in?"

"U-um, yes! Of course!" When the Gerudo walked into the room in all of her tanned, toned, and gold-adorned glory, Zelda felt her face heat up just a little. "Urbosa..."

"It's been a while, Your Majesty." Normally, Zelda hated the formalities, but with how the Gerudo said it with such love and adoration, how could she say no?

"It has." _Eloquent, Zelda. So. Fucking._ Eloquent _._

"You haven't... forgotten as Link has, right?" Zelda smiled as she moved from her desk to her bed, patting the spot beside her. "I'm dirty from my travels, Princess, your bed should remain clean--"

"The chambers remain almost completely untouched by Ganon. There's nothing dirty on this bed that we haven't done, Urbosa. So, please? Join me?" Urbosa was weak for her princess, and maybe alarmingly so, but it was worth the sleepy smile she got as Zelda fell asleep in her arms.

~~~

When Zelda woke up, her heart was filled with equal amounts of dread and happiness. She finally had her Urbosa back, the Gerudo's arms providing a safety blanket for her, and yet she couldn't help but worry about Link; if Zelda was this happy to see Urbosa, what happened to make Link less happy to see Revali?

She'd have to find out.

"Zelda, I can  _hear_ you thinking." Zelda flinched a little at being caught, but could only turn to her girlfriend with a sheepish smile.

"I'm simply worrying about Link and Revali." Urbosa snorted, burrowing her face further into the princess' neck.

"There's nothing to worry about when it comes to those two. Goddess knows they're probably fucking like rabbits as we spe--"

"Link shot Revali with an arrow on sight." That seemed to draw the Champion's attention.

"You kid with me." Zelda shook her head sadly, when something in her desk drawer caught her attention. She hadn't thought to clean up after Urbosa walked in last night, which raises the question  _how did she not notice the letters with the Hylian Crest on them in her desk drawer?_

"Urbosa, you don't happen to recall anyone coming in last night, do you?" She asked as she got up, heading over to the aforementioned desk.

"I would've had a sword to their throat in an instant, Your Highness." Zelda nodded, because, really, she knew the answer to that already.

"So how..." Zelda picked up the letters, and even more questions with accompanying red flags were raised.

Each envelope had a name on it, four Champions and a Princess, in Link's charming, thought slightly messy, handwriting. 

"Gather Daruk, Mipha, and Revali and bring them here. I'm deeply worried for Link and his rash decisions." Urbosa gave a shaky nod and encouraging kiss to Zelda's temple before heading off to find her companions.

~~~

"So... he wrote us letters? I thought he didn't remember us." Revali ignored Mipha and opened his letter, feeling his stomach drop and heart ride to his throat.

"He wrote this before he defeated Calamity Ganon. The date says it all." Revali didn't think that reading the letter in front of them was a good idea, because as much as he tried to act like less of an asshole around them, crying in front of them is absolutely off the table. He flew to the highest point of the exterior of the castle, settling down with the letter tightly gripped in his wing.

He knew Link did something, but he was terrified to find out what exactly it was.

Stealing himself and opening up the letter again, he tried to calm down his racing heart.

_Dear my beloved Revali,_

_I hope this letter finds you in better spirits than when we last talked. I know I had no right to do what I did to you--to any of you, but... the thought of activating the terminals and never seeing you again hurt more than the thought of hurting you, I suppose. I tried seeking the help of the Goddess, you know. You'd think after all the time she brought my spirit to play her sick game, she'd indulge me just this once. But I suppose that's just not in my story is it? To be happy with the Rito, as well as the friends, who love me not because I'm destined to save them, but because they see the person beyond the sword. I know I left you high and dry, Revali, and there was not a day that went by that I didn't hate myself to the point of sickness. The love I feel for you is the strongest, most intense, and consequently the scariest thing I've ever felt. But it's also one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Being able to say you were mine and ~~I was yours~~ I am yours... It's unreal. But, I suppose it's time I told you how this all happened, isn't it? I went to a statue by a lake in Hateno Village; he deals in matters that the Goddess dare not go near. I asked him to bring you all back to life; back to_   ** _me_ ** _, but alas, he we would not allow me such a_ _privilege. He... he warned me I'd never be able to regain a memory of any of you indefinitely._

 _I don't believe that, Revali. I don't know how I'll act towards you when you come back, but I have to make a rather selfish request. I need you to **make**_ _me remember. I need you to get past whatever I might say to you, I need you to make me fall for you again. And if that involves firing rude comments at me all over again, I ask that you do. I realize that I'm not really in the position to make demands of you, but I know that, no matter what anyone could ever do to me, there will always be a void in my heart without you by my side me._

_Forever more yours,_

_Link_

Revali didn't register the fact that the moment he read the first line, tears had been streaming down his face. 

Link had given up almost everything for his friends, and he's somewhere in there waiting for them to save him.

But what if it was just a lie? An illusion Link let himself fall under? He had no way of knowing what would be left of the old--newer? This memory loss thing has happened twice--self, so what gave him the right to give Revali such a hope of seeing the Hylian as he used to be? What gave Link the right to play with him like that?

And why was Revali making a beeline for the Hero's room?

It was late, Revali knew that, but he had to see Link; had to look into his eyes for  _anything_. 

Revali's feet carried him to Link's room out of instinct, the click of his talons against the stone floor a distant sound over the blood rapidly pumping in his chest. Revali knocked on the door before he could convince himself how bad of an idea this was.

"Oh. It's you." It stung Revali's heart, the greeting he just got, but he had to remind himself that  _Link asked for this, he wants you back, **get him back.**_

"I came to let you know that you're unbelievably rude shot to my leg has been healed." Ah yes, arrogant and rude Revali was back in town.

"I didn't ask for an update." Was it just Revali or is Link more of an asshole than the first time they met?

"Regardless of whether or not you asked for it, I'm letting you know that your actions--which the Princess did not approve of, mind you--have been fixed. I also want a damn apology."

"I was simply doing my job." Revali seemed to be pissing the kid off, and he was having trouble remembering if that was the plan or not.

"Well then get better at it, because the next person you shoot might not be so forgi--" Revali was roughly dragged into the room, and he registered a door shutting before big blue eyes were in front of him.

"Listen up, feathers-for-brains," Oh,  _ouch_. First Mipha, now Link coming for his bird-ancestry? Rough day, "I don't care if you're the King of the Rito--"

"The Rito actually don't have a monarchy--"  _Slap_.

Holy Goddess Hylia herself be damned. Link just  _slapped him_.

"I didn't say you could talk." Revali was quickly growing impatient with this new Link in front of him.

"And surprisingly, I don't care. Being the Zelda's appointed knight doesn't grant you permission to be an asshole."

"You aren't allowed to use the Princess' actual name!" Revali's amazed they've managed to avoid attracting attention by anyone in or around the castle.

"Except for the fact that I am, you just don't remember anything but being an emotionless  _ass_." There was a spark of something in Link's eyes that Revali had to have hallucinated, but it was gone so fast Revali was certain he was just too hopeful.

"I'd watch your mouth." Revali scoffed, plucking a feather and leaving it on the floor; it had the desired effect, since Link loves to keep his room as cutter free as possible, apparently.

"Or what, you'll hurt me again? I don't think you can do any more of that, love." The endearment simply slipped out; an old habit, but Revali didn't give the Hero enough time to respond, as he was already out the window.

Link leaned down and picked up the feather, something familiar about it--

 _The pillar, next to... a large mechanical bird? Looks a little scary. There's something familiar about it, though, so Link let's it be. His eyes drift to a Rito and a Hylian sitting next to said bird--wait, is that Revali? And..._ himself _?_

_"I think my feathers would look much better than that random one in your headpiece." Weird-Link smiled at Revali, shaking his head._

_"Of course you would say that, you're more possessive than you let on." Revali hummed in acknowledgement, taking out the beige feather._

_"I also think that it would bring out the blue in your eyes much better." Weird-Link giggled, shaking his head._

_"I don't think the white chuchus are gonna care if my eyes are accentuated."_

_"Well then we're just left with me being possessive, aren't we?" Weird-Link hummed happily, burrowing himself into the Rito's chest._

_"I suppose so."_

Link shook his head angrily, grabbing his hood and paraglider before following Revali out his window.

The asshole had some explaining to do.

~~~

"Revali!" By the time Link found him, it was in the middle of the night, and the Rito didn't even bother taking his eyes off his target made of an old knight's shield. He'd taken off the metal center, and there were already several nicks and holes in the wood.

Link tackled Revali to the ground before he could think of any other option.

"Okay, I put up with a lot of crap from you people, Urbosa, but this is--" When Revali craned his neck far enough to see that it was, in fact,  _not_ Urbosa, but the certain Hylian he was  _avoiding_ , his beak snapped shut. "Well hello there." He said monotonously. "You gonna get off me?"

"You enchanted that feather."

"Sorry, you're talking to a Rito, not a sorcerer." Link growled a little, because the man below him had to be the  _most infuriating creation of Hylia ever._

"I picked up the feather to throw it out, " Revali swears he hears his heart breaks a little, "and I had a hallucination." The Rito perked up, suddenly very intrigued in what the Hylian above him had to say.

"Oh? Of what?"

"Why does that matter?" Revali rolled his eyes.

"Just humor me."

There was silence, and Revali thought he wasn't going to get an answer, when: "I was... looking in on a couple, who appeared to be...  _you and_ _I_." He said it with an alarming amount of disgust.

"What was happening?" Link jumped off the Rito, looking at him like the corpse of a bokoblin.

"What does it matter to you? You've made your point, I won't come near you again."

Revali didn't have the words to tell Link that watching the Hero's retreating form didn't help the whispers in his head of  _hedoesn'tneedyou, youaren'timportanttohim, you'reworthlesstohim, youdon'tmatteranymore_.

 _Noonelovesyou_.

o.O.o

Link has mixed feelings about Revali's absence at breakfast, but such thoughts are banished when he sees Zelda being really close with a Gerudo he's never seen.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask you step back from the Princess--" Zelda gave her knight a grin wider than the horizon.

"If you so much as look at Urbosa the wrong way, Link, I will not be afraid to hide all of your apples." Link gasped, letting a rare smile slip.

"Z, noooo." Zelda, who wasn't aware Link remembered anything about her apart from his obligation to her, smiled through her shock at his nickname for her.

"Oh, yes. Now, leave me to my maiden or you'll simply have to resort to the thought of those sweet, crisp fruits." Link pouted before sticking his tongue out at the princess.

Link smiled at the Goron and Zora who were at the makeshift table as he passed them, heading for what was left of the doors when he heard:

"You think he'll ever get back to giving us nicknames?"

Something was going on here, but for the life of him he couldn't piece together  _what_.

Link was bored, and temporarily out of a job, so he simply wandered around the field surrounding the castle. It was weird, seeing the land before him free of Ganon and Malice, and much easier to see father down the field.

There Revali was again, shooting at actual targets this time. Is that just where he spent all of his time?

"Who  _are_ you?" Revali sighed, because he finally thought he'd found some peace, away from the heartache that lied within hate-filled blue eyes.

"Revali, Champion of the Rito, best archer in the entire continent--"

"I didn't ask what you tell yourself every night to keep your pathetic self-esteem up," even Link knew that what he said was rude, but why was it such a natural response when he talked with the Rito? "I asked who the hell you are to try and turn what I know right around--"

"Look in your bag for the Snowquill outfit." Revali said, nocking and launching another arrow as he did. "And you'll get more answers to your questions." Link narrowed his eyes, but did as he was told, because what was the harm in looking at an outfit he'd purchased on his adventures?

He pulled out the little bundle of Rito-down filled clothes, placing it in front of him when he saw it: the blue feather from the flashback.

Revali's feather.

"Does it not seem weird, that you'll have memories about Rito Village, but there are gaps where there shouldn't be? Moments where you'll remember almost everything, but then there's a lapse that doesn't make sense?" Revali put the bow down--one he'd borrowed from somewhere deep in the castle--on the ground, walking over to the Hero. "I'm the person that fills in those gaps, Link. I'm the one that helped you work on mastering your archery until the sun rose beside us, almost letting us remain happy for the rest of eternity together in its warmth." Revali let a wing come up to stroke Link's cheek. "You asked me to make you remember, Link. So that's what I'm going to do." Revali sighed, and Link knew that the sadness in the emerald eyes in front of him was solely his fault. "Let me take you up to Medoh, Link. Let me bring you back to me.  _Please_." Link didn't know what was happening. 

There was a scratching at the inside of his head, almost, of a person who loved the man in front of him trying to get out; and it wasn't like Link didn't want to, but there was something  _stopping him_.

However, there was nothing stopping him from saying yes to Revali, so that's exactly what he did. And Goddess damn, the way he smiled made any apprehension he had worth.

"I wanna fly with you though, on your back. My paraglider only give me some semblance of flying, and I think riding you will do a better job." Revali smirked a little, winking as he said:

"Riding me did a lot of things for you, sweetheart."

Link would deny hitting the Rito with the bow on the ground if he was asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended on a fluffier note? I suppose?


	3. My Feelings for You Are Caught in a Storm

It was silent, so far, on the ride to Rito Village. Link was curious as to why and how Revali knew about the random lapses in his memory; seeing a young Sidon, but a blur where the--presumably--Zora was supposed to be; watching a marriage in the heart of Goron City, but not being able to name the groom--and he was the  _best man_ ; keeping an eye from a fair distance on Zelda when she would walk and giggle and talk with a Gerudo about her day; being able to hit the bull's eye, and turning around with glee flowing from his pores, but... he didn't recognize the Rito in front of him; all of these strangers were  _blurs_ , but blurs he knew he was supposed to  _know_ and  _love_.

So why  _couldn't he_?

"What was the me you loved like?" Revali froze for a second, and that caused the two to rock a little in the air, but were stable again the next second.

"Are you sure you want to know that?" He asked softly, tilting his head towards Link a little.

"I do."

"Well, our relationship in the beginning was rockier than the Eldin region, and you hated me just as the others did, which I suppose is what I wanted. Anyway, I was practicing my archery, as you've seen me do twice now, and you asked me what my deal was. I essentially told you to fuck right off, but... you didn't. And I guess that's when my feelings for you started, because you were the only person that  _cared_ about why I was the way I was. So I told you things about me, things no one knew until months later, and in those months... we fell for each other. You carved me the very first Great Eagle Bow, and I made you a personalized headpiece for your Snowquill armor. Though, of course, you being you, you managed to lose bits and pieces of it every time you left for the mountains, so I just stuck to giving you my feather."

Link's not gonna lie, there are parts of that that ring an alarming amount of bells, but if he had such a connection to him, why...

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Revali shook his head.

"We're almost there, Link, and I'm afraid that what I say may cause you to pass out, so I'll tell you when we land, alright?" Link pouted, but gave an affirmative.

~~~

Link hopped off of Revali, and he took a deep breath of the cool air, smiling softly, because  _that_ feeling, he remembered.

"So, I assume you still want to know?" Link nodded, not looking away from the moon. "You made a deal with a statue." Aaaand he was looking away from the moon.

"What?"

"You... you traded your memories of us to bring us back from death." Link felt his whole reality crashing down around him, and shook his head, stumbling back and completely missing the mumble of: "And you wanted me to tell you when were fuck-all-high in the air."

Link shook his head even harder, because he remembers that, remembers and  _feels_ the desperation he felt when he pleaded with the Goddess to bring Daruk, Mipha, and Ur--

He remembers.

Fuck, he  _remembers_.

Mipha, who helped with her healing and encouraging words, Daruk, who stood between him and anyone who dare hurt his "Little Guy", and Urbosa, who'd laugh her ass off when Link had to sneak into Gerudo town to consult with her.

And Revali.

Revali who'd look at him with a glare, but give it up the second later because Link would do something the Rito found cute and smile at him like he was the very reason the moon and the stars were in the sky. Revali, who would sit through all the hours where Link would miss the target from a high altitude, and _'Link, love, sweet wildberry of mine, **aim, please**.'_ Revali, who would preen whenever Link clapped for him after an aced sword maneuver on the Champions's part. Revali, who'd tear up when Link provided him with a Feathered Edge created all on his own--with guidance from Daruk--and the letters L and R engraved into the handle, a criss-crossed Master Sword and Great Eagle Bow, and _'Link, I don't have the bag you do, I can't keep carrying more weapons.'_

"...nk? ...ink? Link!? Link, hey, come on." Revali was shaking Link a little, and the Hero could do nothing but... smile at him. "...Link. You're scaring me."

"You still have that Feathered Edge I gave you?" Revali froze, tears gathering in his oh-so-beautiful emerald eyes.

"I--you--what--how--you--I don't--"

"Simply yes or no, love." Revali let out a confused squawk, before Link got a little impatient and tugged Revali down to him, pressing kisses to where his beak met his feathers. 

"I--yes? I haven't used it in fear it'll break." Revali was less confused about Link's memory-regaining, and more flustered about how forward he was being. "Link, we're still on the pillar, we shouldn't--"

"We haven't truly been together for over a hundred years. I'm allowed to try and get you into a bed until I feel you're done--"

"Link." The Hero looked up, pouting. "You  _remember_ everything. Keep it in your pants for now." Link smiled sheepishly, shifting a little, but not letting do of Revali, so that he was lying comfortably on his chest.

"I... I thought I never would. And I was okay with that, i suppose, because I knew that I'd fall for you again--"

"Oh yeah? And how did you know, Oh Great One?" Revali snapped, and Link, well, he deserved that. "Because, last I recall, you were calling my self esteem cripplingly low." Link winced, because, yes, he knew, but he didn't mean it.

"I think... I think that statue did something weird to me--"

"Oh, because fucking with your memories isn't weird--"

"Because I noticed that whenever I got close to remembering something," Link continued, unimpressed, "I'd lash out. At you, specifically." Revali nodded, noticing the differentiation in the Hylian's behaviour as well.

"And the statue didn't mention that side affect at all?" Revali was still... very confused about this whole thing. Link shrugged.

"Even if he did, I wasn't paying attention." Revali let out a small squeak.

"You 'weren't paying attention'!?" He screeched, and Link had to cover his ears to save his hearing. "You could've died right then and there!"

"But I didn't! Doesn't that count for something?" Based on Revali's furrowed brows and open beak, that was a hard 'no'. "Look, Revali, you have to understand. I was willing to risk everything because a world without you isn't worth living in, okay?" Revali shook his head--his precious Hylian was self-destructive to the point where Revali would consider concocting a plan to keep Link trapped somewhere away from harm.

"Moving on, because we obviously don't agree on this; how'd you defeat Ganon without the Divine Beasts?" Link shrugged.

"A lot of elixirs and food."

"You know, we each had a plan to give you a power." Revali said, letting his eyes drift over to Medoh. "I was going to give you my Gale, Mipha, her Grace, Daruk, his Protection, and Urbosa, her Fury." He turned back to Link. "It would've helped you defeat him so much easier." Link was shocked, because those were all things that make up a lot of who the Champions _were_. "We were all prepared to do everything to help you, so imagine our shock when you abandon us." Link winced for what felt like the billionth time that day, and sat up from his position on Revali, but oh, the Champion  _wasn't done_. "That hurt us all more than you'll ever know, Link, but it seems like I'm the only one who wants to voice it."

"I think you're overreacting." Revali felt every single feather on his body  _ruffle_.

" _Excuse me_?" Link sighed, shaking his head.

"Yes, I agree the other three were probably offended, but you're in love with me, it makes everything I do that's objectively hurtful unbearable." Revali laughed, but it held no amusement; only resentment, really.

"Considering how 'unbearable' you think it was, I didn't hear a single apology from you."

"And you're not going to get one!" Link noted how there was a sharp inhale of air from behind him, but  _Goddess dammit, his piece will be said_. "I will  _not_ apologize because every single time Ganon cut me, stabbed me, burned me, shocked me, I saw it as karma for being a bad Hero; a bad  _boyfriend_. Because every injury was putting me a step closer to failing you  _again_. So no, Revali, you haven't heard an apology, and that's not about to change."

"Go home, Link." Link shook his head, and when the laugh erupted from his throat, it held less emotion than Revali's did.

"Right, okay, push me away with false rudeness, see how that goes better now than it did with your parents." Revali froze, sadness, betrayal, and  _anger_ flooding every one of his senses.

"I can't tell what's worse, the fact that you thought that would hurt me, or the fact that you  _meant_ it." It broke Revali's heart and his spirit, and they both knew it, but, well, like Link said, push people away, right? 

"I don't know why I bothered bringing you back, Revali. You're just as much of a pain in the ass as you were last time." Revali turned away shaking his head.

"At least I can tell when I don't want to be heard." The Rito picked up his bow, tear taking it's place on the rock. "If the princess asks for my evidently unwanted presence and  _empty skull_ , tell her I'm busy; if you can even extend me that courtesy."

And he was gone, leaving a Link filled with self-hatred on the ground below him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FLUFF???


End file.
